As a Red Sox fan, I am partial to thinking Boston is the best baseball town in the country, and Red Sox fans the most knowledgable and passionate fan base there is (besides this new "Red Sox Nation" crap and the friggin pink-hat post-2004 yuppies with the season tix and Boylston brownstones). Anyways, I listen to a lot of sports-talk radio (103.7 WEEI in Providence and 850 AM Boston), and I hear Sox fans calling and trying to play Theo.

One big problem with some fans is they think real sports can be managed like a fantasy team. This Roy Halladay situation, much like the Johan Santana situation a few summer back, has gotten everyone off their rockers. People calling in thinking the Sox can trade guys like Lugo, Drew, Penny and Saito in a package for the likes of Halladay is absurd. Also, a package of prospects that wouldn't include both Buchholz and Lars Anderson is also not a reality. Toronto, to move the arguably the best pitcher in baseball to a financial behemoth within its own division is ballsy already, therefore, you have to know that J.P. Riccardi is going to want top-flight guys that he can have under his control for a long time. A likely deal would look something like Buchholz, Bowden, DelCarmen and Anderson...something like that. A lot to give up for sure. Other names out there include Reddick, Westmoreland, Masterson, Bard, Hagoden and Casey Kelly.

With these names, we are talking about the latest fruit off the vine of Theo's "player development machine", which has already helped secure one championship in 2007. Now, money is not the issue here, the Sox could certainly afford to sign Halladay to an extension, which he would surely want to facilitate any trade and waive his full no-trade clause. Toronto doesn't want to have to deal him obviously, but they can't afford to keep him with terrible contracts they doled out to Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. Their future lies around Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Travis Snider, their young pitchers and whatever they can get for Halladay.

Sox fans need to realize to get this guy is going to cost a TON. Also, forget about Hanley Ramirez and Joe Mauer, two other names I've been hearing for next year. While those are two positions the Sox certainly need addressed, both those guys are young, franchise faces. Also, both Florida and Minny are opening new stadiums next year, so those guys aren't going anywhere. We are going to see the Pohlad's finally pony up and pay, because Mauer is the local boy hero demigod.

The Sox will rely on their young guys and the fact that in the next 2 seasons, they have guys like Drew, Ortiz, Lugo and Lowell coming off the books. Papelbon will chase bigger money somewhere else (the Bronx perhaps?), so Bard needs to be kept. The Red Sox priority this season should be to hold onto the young guys, find a deadline bat, and re-sign Jason Bay this offseason. Glad the AL got home field too!!!!